This article will tell the reader about the cult mode of transport of his era - the Mercedes of Adolf Hitler, who traveled to different parts of the world, was lost, but was eventually found.
Which ruler now, and at any other time, did not want to demonstrate his superiority over others? Boasting of their mansions, villas, exclusive cars, they seem to be a step above their colleagues. However, many people want to show not just a luxurious thing, but to highlight the fact that the manufacturer of this product is precisely his country.
Mercedes-Benz 770K - this is the name of the protagonist of the article. Despite his "retirement" age, he traveled half the world: from Berlin to Tashkent, from Tashkent to Russia, and then again to Germany and after to Russia. How did it come about? Now you will find out what car Hitler drove the dictator of the Third Reich, the history of this vehicle.
History of creation
Back in 1938, the model was introduced in Germany as a new generation car. It is worth noting that the luxury car fell in love with the heads of various states. Reich Chancellor was in love with the car. And so he wanted to buy it for himself. By the way, at that time it was one of the most expensive cars in the world. The ignition, the fuel system and other important elements without which the car cannot be used for its intended purpose were double-made so that the breakdown during the trip would not become fatal, and in spite of everything, the car continued to drive.
Hitler's favorite car could transform from a convertible to a limousine and vice versa. His love for her was so great that a year later he ordered to make six more copies of the car for the first persons of the Third Reich.
A few words about the performance characteristics
Hitler's machine cost about 40,000 Reichsmarks. For comparison: the common Volkswagen Beetle model at that time cost about 1,000 Reichsmarks.
"Hitler-Wagen" - so often called transport, was the heaviest and fastest car at that time. He personified the country's desire to be the first, in a word, the best, not only in terms of production, but also politically.
It should be noted that the reservation of the car left much to be desired. In those years, premium cars produced much safer. But this does not mean that the Fuhrer did not have the proper protection. Thanks to the special design of the car body, the dictator could not worry about anything.
In addition, car windows were armored 4 centimeters thick. The back was an armored back designed specifically for this model. Engineers even thought about how to place the spare wheels of the car, so that they serve as armor.
Close but far
As a result, from the side of Hitler seemed heedless, located very close to people, but in fact he was reliably protected from bullets, any aggression and ill-wishers. In the event of an unforeseen attack, the chancellor should only crouch, and the driver should leave with lightning speed.
Of course, such secret protective measures were used exclusively for the Reich Chancellor. Some functions have been redone in accordance with the requirements of his personal driver.
The only unprotected place in Adolf Hitler's car was only the open top.
The engine capacity of the supercar was 7.7 liters, and the power was 230 horsepower.
As it was written above, this car was the most beloved among the leader of Nazi Germany. On it, he went to solemn parades. There is information that on it he even visited the occupied lands. This is evidenced by archival photos of Hitler’s machine taken in those places during the course of the Second World War. However, the darling was not "military." For these purposes, several more iron horses were waiting in the wings in his fleet.
In the occupied territories, Hitler was often declared to be the great-grandfather of modern Audi - the sports Horch 930. She was one of Hitler's favorite military vehicles.
And also, Maybach SW35. By the way, Karl Maybach was a friend of Adolf Hitler. Especially for him, the company developed a new engine, and Spohn specialists were engaged in the design. This car was also released in a limited edition and went to the most influential and senior people of Nazi Germany.
Another favorite of Adolf was Volkswagen Käfer. Unlike his garage neighbors, it was inexpensive and practical. This is the task that Hitler set for the developers, wanting to give every German the opportunity to have his own car. However, he was not immediately destined to receive popular love.
There was another Mercedes in the collection - it looked like it was Hitler's favorite car brand.
Mercedes-Benz G4 is not just a car, but a real all-terrain vehicle! Please note - he has not 4, but 6 wheels. It was on it that Adolf Hitler, standing on a special box, accepted the surrender of Juntziger. The fact is that the car is very roomy. Not having outstanding parameters, Hitler literally drowned in it.
But this “Mercedes” in the garage did not end there. Another - Mercedes-Benz 24/100/140 PS - went to Hitler from the German Reich President Paul von Hindenburg. However, the car did not impress the dictator and he quickly got rid of it, or rather, changed it. Still worth remembering Hitler's time machine - the "Bell".
Sad patterns
Curiously, Hitler’s relationship with the head of the Mercedes company was not very warm. The Führer did not like the name of the company, as it is a Jewish female name. He demanded to immediately rename the organization. However, he later found out that there is also a Spanish word consonant with Mercedes, which translates as grace. The question was closed on this, since Germany and Spain had the warmest relations.
History of a fascinating journey
The Chancellor, after some time of use, gave the car to the dictator of Croatia - Pavelich. After the lands of this and adjacent territories were liberated, another person came to power. As a result, Hitler's former car was nationalized, and after a while the new ruler presented the car to Comrade Stalin. Since then, a valuable gift has been kept in the Special Purpose Garage. Here such trips sometimes make war trophies.
Stalin did not drive this car for obvious reasons. Firstly, he already had a limousine, which was not inferior in characteristics to Hitler's car. Secondly, to drive the head of the victorious country in a car of the leader of the Third Reich is incomprehensible to the mind. Therefore, Mercedes remained in the garage as a trophy.
"Gifts-gifts"
After some time, Stalin decided to donate an exclusive car to the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Uzbek SSR. Then the car went to Uzbekistan. True, he also stayed with him for a short while. Due to the fact that the car was not Soviet-made, it was difficult to get parts on it. Therefore, the new owner decided to donate it to his driver.
Such manipulations were very damaging to the car. The new owner decided to "Russify" the car, making it a truck, and replace the required imported parts with domestic ones. Hitler’s once-high-class machine became an auxiliary vehicle, it was used for agricultural work: it used to transport products for sale in the markets. After destructive operation, the car broke down, and the owner left it to live his life on the outskirts of the Uzbek steppe. There she stood until the early 2000s.
Worn-out number plates helped the dictator's car. Now they are in a special storage, as they are considered the most expensive elements of a premium car.
The pursuit of exclusive
Two years later, the car was pursued by a group led by Vadim Zadorozhny. People wanted to keep track of the evolution of Mercedes cars using the details that have been preserved. The long process of delivering a car to Russia has begun. When the exhibit was delivered, it turned out that it lacked so many details. By the way, there were less than 100 such copies issued, which made the already difficult task even more difficult.
Incredibly, people managed to get and buy the necessary spare parts, although they were in different corners of the globe. After 14 years of fruitful search, parts were completed by 90%. There were many seekers for spare parts for this model, and therefore, in order to get them, I had to sweat a lot.
History in detail
A curious story is known: once a German who also bought rare items visited one of the museums in Russia where exclusive fragments were kept. Seeing the details in the museum, he changed his face, turned red, stood for a long time, looked at them and cursed, they say, the Russians also succeeded here.
The car is still located in Russia at Zadorozhniy. Now the restoration of the exhibit is in full swing. But now it can be considered the property of the Russian Federation, because today there are only five such machines in the world.
Back to life
Of course, a lot of work has already been done, but more remains to be done. For example, there is a long work on details, painting. Then, when the car is assembled, it should be tested in a ride. 300 kilometers of a live run will have to show whether the specialists assembled the restored model correctly.
And then he will go to the hall of one of the museums. Despite the dark and saturated past of the dictatorial machine, a tourist, seeing it, will only think that all the terrible, terrible events associated with its owner are far behind.